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Working in partnership with U.S. and Mexican authorities, ICE Homeland Security Investigations officers rescued a three-year-old Alabama child who was abducted by a woman working in conjunction with a deported illegal alien charged with child rape.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin shared with Fox News Digital that the child was rescued after being kidnapped by her mother, Haley Harris, and illegally taken across the southern border to Mexico.
According to a statement by ICE, agents uncovered “disturbing details about Harris’s actions while in possession of the child.”
The agency said that during the course of the kidnapping, Harris maintained repeated contact with her boyfriend, Pedro Pedraza-Trejo, a previously deported Mexican national who has charges for child molestation and rape in Washington state.
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Local outlet ABC 33/40 reported that the kidnapped child, Kionii Haugen, was returned home to Orange Beach, Alabama, after 12 days. The outlet said that Harris took the child with her to Pensacola, Atlanta, San Diego, Tijuana and Mexico City before being located by authorities.
During this period, ICE said that Harris contacted Pedraza-Trejo 193 times in the span of just a few days.
The ICE statement said, “The fact that Harris maintained repeated contact with Pedraza-Trejo, a man convicted of such vile crimes, while illegally holding her child, underscores the gravity of her actions and the danger she posed to the child’s safety.”
Harris was extradited to the U.S. on Sept. 28 and subsequently arrested and faces charges for international parental kidnapping, according to ICE.
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“Haley Harris broke into her ex-partner’s home and unlawfully kidnapped her child from the father’s Alabama home. She violated international parental kidnapping laws by fleeing to Mexico,” McLaughlin explained. “During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that her boyfriend Pedraza-Trejo was deported to Mexico and his criminal history includes multiple child sex crimes, including molestation and rape of a child.”
McLaughlin said that “through coordinated efforts with U.S. and Mexican authorities, Harris was located, arrested, and extradited to the United States to face charges,” while the child “has been safely returned to Alabama.”
“HSI remains committed to safeguarding vulnerable children and ensuring that those who endanger them are held accountable,” said McLaughlin.
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Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama, also commented on the case, saying it “highlights the power of collaboration between U.S. and international law enforcement agencies.”
“Thanks to the swift and decisive actions of our dedicated agents and partners, a child has been safely reunited with her family, and the individual responsible will face the consequences of her actions,” said Schrank.
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